1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an onboard unit controlling apparatus including: a plurality of onboard units operable by an occupant; sight line detecting means configured to detect a sight line of the occupant; and control means configured such that, when the sight line of the occupant detected by the sight line detecting means is directed to any one of the plurality of onboard units, the control means turns the onboard unit, to which the sight line is directed, into an operable state.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-38790 discloses an apparatus that adjusts the direction of each of the left and right side mirrors of an automobile. In this publication the apparatus is configured to: capture an image of an occupant's face by use of a camera; judge which of the left and right side mirrors the occupant turns the face to; adjust the left side mirror upward, downward, leftward or rightward when the occupant utters “upward,” “downward,” “leftward,” “rightward” or the like with the face facing the left side mirror; and adjust the right side mirror upward, downward, leftward or rightward when the occupant utters “upward,” “downward,” “leftward,” “rightward” or the like with the face facing the right side mirror.
Incidentally, an automobile is equipped with multiple onboard units such as side mirrors, a rear view mirror, a navigation system, a hand-free in-vehicle phone, an air blowout port of an air conditioner and a meter panel. Each of the onboard units is designed to be operated by a corresponding one of switches. However, when each of the multiple onboard units is operated by the corresponding switch, a large number of switches are required, which in turn causes problems that securing installation spaces for switches is difficult, and that operations of the switches are troublesome.
The above-mentioned problem can be solved if the number of switches is reduced by providing a single common switch capable of operating the multiple onboard units such that the switch operates any of the onboard units which an occupant wishes to operate, in response to an event where the occupant looks at the onboard unit.
However, in the above case, if the multiple onboard units are arranged close to one another, the occupant cannot judge which onboard unit can be operated now by the switch. As a result, the occupant may mistakenly operate an onboard unit different from the onboard unit which the occupant wishes to operate.